The Magic House in Kirkwood is turning its outdoor Trike Town play area into a miniature stretch of Route 66, opening Friday with tiny replicas of Ted Drewes, Spencer's Grill, Donut Drive-In and Crestwood Bowl scaled down for pedal-powered explorers. The new exhibit, called Trike Town: Route 66 Highway to Fun, celebrates the highway's 100th anniversary and folds real St. Louis roadside history into a play space long used by the children's museum for hands-on learning.
According to St. Louis Magazine, the museum sits along historic Route 66 itself and is a certified stop on the Route 66 Centennial Route, giving the exhibit a literal connection to the road it depicts. Sara Saul, chief strategy officer at The Magic House, said the museum wanted to incorporate St. Louis into the Trike Town experience. “Hands-on play is how kids learn,” Saul said, per the same account.
The exhibit was developed with research into businesses that operated along Route 66 during its heyday, and the participating businesses themselves helped shape their miniature counterparts, the outlet reports. Saul said she hopes the exhibit gives children a greater sense of pride in their home, adding that The Magic House and its community are part of history and worth celebrating.
Real Landmarks Behind the Tiny Versions
Each miniature stop borrows from an actual St. Louis landmark with decades of Route 66 history. Ted Drewes Frozen Custard opened its Chippewa Street location along the highway in 1941 and introduced its upside-down “concrete” treat in 1959, according to the Missouri Encyclopedia. Spencer's Grill opened at 223 S. Kirkwood Road in 1947 to catch 24-hour traveler traffic and is still known for its glowing 1948 neon clock sign, as Sauce Magazine has reported.
Donut Drive-In has operated on Chippewa Street since 1952, and its animated red-neon dropping donut sign was restored in 2008 with help from a National Park Service grant, per the Missouri Route 66 Association. Crestwood Bowl, established along the route in 1958 by professional bowlers including Dick Weber, has an original 1958 neon sign designated an official St. Louis County Landmark, according to Route 66 Times. Trike Town: Route 66 Highway to Fun includes a bowling game inspired by Crestwood Bowl along with a pint-sized drive-in movie theater, and the exhibit transforms the outdoor space into what St. Louis Magazine describes as a kid-sized road trip through St. Louis history.
A Sponsor With Its Own Route 66 Timeline
Exhibit sponsor Sunset Ford is located along historic Route 66 on Gravois Road and was founded in 1912, the same era that set the stage for the highway's eventual 1926 establishment. Peter S. Heutel started the business as an auto repair shop before it became a franchised Ford dealer in 1916, and Patch reports that five generations of the Heutel family have run the dealership ever since, making it one of the oldest family-run dealerships in the country.
Trike Town, a recurring experience at The Magic House, is included with regular museum admission, and Route 66 itself became synonymous with the great American road trip after its 1926 establishment. The museum's tie-in doesn't stop with the new exhibit — Sunset Ford's sponsorship will carry through a second event next month.
Kids & Cars Weekend Follows in September
The Magic House will host Kids & Cars Weekend on September 12 and 13, featuring two days of activities inspired by Route 66 and the animated Cars franchise, all included with regular museum admission. Planned offerings include Trike Town access, a Cars screening, a vintage car show and a road trip map guiding families to activity stops around the museum.
Families wanting extra access can book a VIP Pit Crew Experience, which includes a pit crew lanyard and badge, a keepsake car photo, a Winners Circle trophy photo opportunity and themed play garden activities. The VIP add-on costs $5 per person for members or $18 per person including all-day museum admission, and requires advance registration.
The Route 66 centennial has already drawn a wave of official commemoration well beyond Kirkwood. Congress established the Route 66 Centennial Commission in 2020 under Public Law 116-256 to coordinate national anniversary activities, while Missouri lawmakers passed House Bill 996 in 2025 creating an 18-member state commission and directing the state Department of Transportation to install historic roadside signage by May 2026. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has separately distributed more than $321,000 in grants across 10 Missouri Route 66 sites to support preservation and small business retention ahead of the anniversary. Hoodline has previously covered a Forest Park centennial festival and a National Building Arts Center exhibition examining the highway's toll on St. Louis neighborhoods.
